St Helena SchoolThe Trinity School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Colchester.
Summary of the comparison
St Helena School and The Trinity School are secondary schools in Colchester.
St Helena School scores 54 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and The Trinity School scores 66 out of 100 (grade C, average). The Trinity School is ahead on our composite score.
St Helena School was judged Good and The Trinity School was judged strong.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 42.4 for St Helena School and 49.6 for The Trinity School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at St Helena School (46.1 in 2021-22, 42.4 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | ColchesterSt Helena School | ColchesterThe Trinity School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D54/100 | C66/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 43rd of 80 in Essex Stronger figure | 64th of 80 in Essex | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: StrongStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 986 | 780 | |
| Capacity | 1,000 | 900 | |
| Location | Colchester, CO3 3LE | Colchester, CO4 6ED | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 42.4 | 49.6 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 36.0% | 57.4% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 56.3% | 76.2% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 197 | 122 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 987 | 597 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 31.3% | 17.1% | |
| English as an additional language | 19.0% | 10.7% | |
| SEN support | 14.2% | 14.9% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.5% | 2.5% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.0% Stronger figure | 8.5% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 20.8% | 20.1% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
St Helena School
The Trinity School
Full profiles: St Helena School · The Trinity School